David Rutley MP has met with the East Cheshire NSPCC to give his full support to the charity’s ‘Now I Know’ campaign.
The ‘Now I Know’ campaign aims to raise £20 million by 2016 to help fund the Childline School Service. The service wants to visit every primary school in the country to help children understand abuse, give them the confidence to talk about it and the knowledge to prevent it.
The NSPCC has launched the campaign in response to research showing that at least two children in every primary school class will have suffered some form of abuse or neglect. Childline also reports that the majority of children who contact its helpline are over 11 and often talk about abuse that happened in the past. ‘Now I Know’ will help give younger children the confidence to contact Childline. The service has already visited over 5,000 children in more than 75 schools in Cheshire.
David is looking forward to working with the NSPCC in Cheshire East as it takes the ‘Now I Know’ campaign into schools in the Macclesfield area. He is looking forward to attending a school assembly session in the near future.
NSPCC Chief Executive Peter Wanless says, “By helping children understand and identify abuse in an age appropriate way, we can encourage them to speak out earlier and protect themselves and others from the devastating effects of abuse. We want children to say ‘Now I Know’ – and not, ‘I wish I had known.’ And we want everyone to play their part by looking out for children and reinforcing the messages about speaking up.”
Steve Hughes, the NSPCC’s Volunteer Engagement Manager, commented, “The 'Now I Know' appeal aims to raise £20 million by 2016. This will enable us to put ChildLine in every primary school across the UK, with visits once every two years to talk to children about abuse, how to protect themselves and where to get help if they need it.”
David said, “The NSPCC ‘Now I Know’ campaign is an important step in helping educate children about abuse and protecting them from it. I would like to wish the NSPCC every success in taking this important campaign into our schools.”
To support the campaign visit www.nowiknow.org.uk